History Main / WeakButSkilled

* Saito in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10090792/1/ Zero no Tsukaima: Saito the Onmyoji]]'' notes that he's roughly half as strong as the average student in the academy but because he's a fully accredited mage and the way his magic (called mysticism) works, he's considerably more dangerous.

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* Saito in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10090792/1/ Zero no Tsukaima: Saito the Onmyoji]]'' ''Fanfic/ZeroNoTsukaimaSaitoTheOnmyoji'' notes that he's roughly half as strong as the average student in the academy but because he's a fully accredited mage and the way his magic (called mysticism) works, he's considerably more dangerous.

** Chrono Harlaown is explicitly mentioned in the first season to be weaker in {{Power Level|s}} compared to Nanoha and Fate, a comparison he scoffs at, stating there's more to magic than that. He then proceeds to prove his point during the penultimate episode of the first season where he pulls a OneManArmy in [[BigBad Precia's]] [[StormingTheCastle Garden of Time]] while everyone else needed to charge in as a team, and again [[ComicBookAdaptation in the manga volume set immediately before the second season]] where he effortlessly defeated an improved Fate in record time when she had to battle him for her Mage Exam.

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** Chrono Harlaown is explicitly mentioned in the first season to be weaker in {{Power Level|s}} {{power level|s}} compared to Nanoha and Fate, a comparison he scoffs at, stating there's more to magic than that. He then proceeds to prove his point during the penultimate episode of the first season where he pulls a OneManArmy in [[BigBad Precia's]] [[StormingTheCastle Garden of Time]] while everyone else needed to charge in as a team, and again [[ComicBookAdaptation in the manga volume set immediately before the second season]] where he effortlessly defeated an improved Fate in record time when she had to battle him for her Mage Exam.

** Piccolo gets this during the fight on Namek with Frieza. Though his PowerLevel was slightly lower than Frieza's even after his [[FusionDance fusion with Nail]], Piccolo's fighting skills nonetheless allow him to go toe-to-toe with Frieza's second form.

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** Piccolo gets this during the fight on Namek with Frieza. Though his PowerLevel {{power level|s}} was slightly lower than Frieza's even after his [[FusionDance fusion with Nail]], Piccolo's fighting skills nonetheless allow him to go toe-to-toe with Frieza's second form.

* Having low trion causes low powered weapons and brittle shields in ''Manga/WorldTrigger''. Despite this, Kitora and Yoneya managed to bring their teams to A-rank. To make up for their low attack and defense, Kitora supplements her skillset with traping skill, while Yoneya opts for higher reach by mounting his BladeOnAStick. Series Protagonist Osamu also has the problem. And being a rookie at the start of the series, he has to work on that "skilled" part, too.

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* Having low trion causes low powered weapons and brittle shields in ''Manga/WorldTrigger''. Despite this, Kitora and Yoneya managed to bring their teams to A-rank. To make up for their low attack and defense, Kitora supplements her skillset with traping skill, while Yoneya opts for higher reach by mounting his BladeOnAStick. Series Protagonist protagonist Osamu also has the problem. And being a rookie at the start of the series, he has to work on that "skilled" part, too.

** The Celestial Empire in general qualified for the first few centuries. They had far fewer forces than the Goa'uld, no ships, and the same weaponry. They won so readily because Naruto drilled actual battlefield tactics into them unlike the Goa'uld who went no further than "Charge! Run them down!", which as Naruto noted only works against enemies so outmatched you never had a chance of losing. Later the empires technology advances far beyond Goa'uld, at which point the Goa'uld begin to realize they might actually lose the war.

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** The Celestial Empire in general qualified for the first few centuries. They had far fewer forces than the Goa'uld, no ships, and the same weaponry. They won so readily because Naruto drilled actual battlefield tactics into them unlike the Goa'uld who went no further than "Charge! Run them down!", which as Naruto noted only works against enemies so outmatched you never had a chance of losing. Later the empires empire's technology advances far beyond Goa'uld, at which point the Goa'uld begin to realize they might actually lose the war.

* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'': Cross and Soundbite. Cross has a good tactical mind and knowledge from another dimension, but he's still a [[{{Muggles}} Muggle]] in the WorldOfBadass in which ''Manga/OnePiece'' is set, meaning that his physical capabilities are barely enough for him to stand up to {{Mooks}}. Soundbite's Noise-Noise Fruit powers make him masterful in bluffing out and sometimes disabling his opponents, as well as mustering reinforcements in seconds, but if those fail, he's nothing but a defenseless snail. With their wits combined, however, they're easily formidable enough to have a place with the Straw Hat Pirates.

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* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'': Cross and Soundbite. Cross has a good tactical mind and knowledge from another dimension, but he's still a [[{{Muggles}} Muggle]] [{Muggle|s}} in the WorldOfBadass in which ''Manga/OnePiece'' is set, meaning that his physical capabilities are barely enough for him to stand up to {{Mooks}}. Soundbite's Noise-Noise Fruit powers make him masterful in bluffing out and sometimes disabling his opponents, as well as mustering reinforcements in seconds, but if those fail, he's nothing but a defenseless snail. With their wits combined, however, they're easily formidable enough to have a place with the Straw Hat Pirates.

* ''Film/{{Underworld}}'' has such a moment at the end, during [[BigBad Viktor's]] fight with the newly [[HybridMonster hybridized]] Michael Corvin. Though Michael clearly outmatches Viktor in raw strength and speed and initially has the upper hand, Viktor, having 600+ years of combat experience under his belt, eventually manages to turn the tide, with Michael only being saved from death by Selene making a ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind.** Of course, it's only compared to Michael that Viktor can be considered WeakButSkilled; earlier in the film, he effortlessly {{Neck Lift}}ed a fully transformed [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Lycan]], and then performed a NeckSnap.

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* ''Film/{{Underworld}}'' has such a moment at the end, during [[BigBad Viktor's]] fight with the newly [[HybridMonster hybridized]] Michael Corvin. Though Michael clearly outmatches Viktor in raw strength and speed and initially has the upper hand, Viktor, having 600+ years of combat experience under his belt, eventually manages to turn the tide, with Michael only being saved from death by Selene making a ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind.** ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind. Of course, it's only compared to Michael that Viktor can be considered WeakButSkilled; weak but skilled; earlier in the film, he effortlessly {{Neck Lift}}ed a fully transformed [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Lycan]], and then performed a NeckSnap.

* Katniss Everdeen, from ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', is what happens when WeakButSkilled meets GlassCannon. Her short and thin frame leaves her at a disadvantage in a fight when all of the men and most of the other women are larger and stronger, and haven't starved a day in their lives. Her sole combat ability relies on her skill with a bow, which the Gamemakers play up by only putting one bow and twelve arrows into the Arena. Only once she's gotten that bow does she even ''think'' about mounting an offensive against the Careers, but it is her skill with wilderness survival, tendency to ration and plan ahead, and speed and agility that allow her to hold out long enough in the meantime. It also seems she's pulled a Batman and tried to recall what worked in previous Hunger Games to help decide her course of action. If a natural charisma also counts as a skill, it certainly helps her get much-needed assistance.

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* Katniss Everdeen, from ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', is what happens when WeakButSkilled this meets GlassCannon. Her short and thin frame leaves her at a disadvantage in a fight when all of the men and most of the other women are larger and stronger, and haven't starved a day in their lives. Her sole combat ability relies on her skill with a bow, which the Gamemakers play up by only putting one bow and twelve arrows into the Arena. Only once she's gotten that bow does she even ''think'' about mounting an offensive against the Careers, but it is her skill with wilderness survival, tendency to ration and plan ahead, and speed and agility that allow her to hold out long enough in the meantime. It also seems she's pulled a Batman and tried to recall what worked in previous Hunger Games to help decide her course of action. If a natural charisma also counts as a skill, it certainly helps her get much-needed assistance.

* TabletopGame/{{Mage|TheAscension}}s count as this trope in TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness. TabletopGame/{{Vampire|TheMasquerade}}s have their Disciplines, which grant them supernatural strength and resilience, as well as blood pools that can be used to heal their wounds at a moment's notice. TabletopGame/{{Werewol|fTheApocalypse}}ves have sheer strength on their side, being perfect killing machines created by [[GaiasVengeance Gaia]], in addition to their spiritual gifts, feral Rage, supernatural resistances, a healing factor, and pack tactics. [[TabletopGame/MageTheAscension Mages]] are comparatively {{squish|yWizard}}ier, having to use Magick to replicate any of that--and even then, a Mage needs to be careful, in order to avoid gathering Paradox. However, Magick also allows Mages a degree of control over any facet of reality: it's possible for a well-prepared Mage to develop completely coincidental counter-measures that can neutralize any other Supernatural's abilities.

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* TabletopGame/{{Mage|TheAscension}}s count as this trope in TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness. TabletopGame/{{Vampire|TheMasquerade}}s have their Disciplines, which grant them supernatural strength and resilience, as well as blood pools that can be used to heal their wounds at a moment's notice. TabletopGame/{{Werewol|fTheApocalypse}}ves have sheer strength on their side, being perfect killing machines created by [[GaiasVengeance Gaia]], {{Gaia|sVengeance}}, in addition to their spiritual gifts, feral Rage, supernatural resistances, a healing factor, and pack tactics. [[TabletopGame/MageTheAscension Mages]] TabletopGame/{{Mage|TheAscension}}s are comparatively {{squish|yWizard}}ier, having to use Magick to replicate any of that--and even then, a Mage needs to be careful, in order to avoid gathering Paradox. However, Magick also allows Mages a degree of control over any facet of reality: it's possible for a well-prepared Mage to develop completely coincidental counter-measures that can neutralize any other Supernatural's abilities.

* Certain ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' [[ThatOneBoss One Bosses]] display the ability to kick your ass despite using statistically weaker planes (such as Espada Team using a ''starting'' fighter and a "multirole" fighter-bomber in a pure air-to-air mission)... to an extent that might be considered the computer CherryTapping ''you''.

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* Certain ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' [[ThatOneBoss One Bosses]] bosses]] display the ability to kick your ass despite using statistically weaker planes (such as Espada Team using a ''starting'' fighter and a "multirole" fighter-bomber in a pure air-to-air mission)... to an extent that might be considered the computer CherryTapping ''you''.

** New Vegas actually has another example, in unarmed combat. Since (excepting the ballistic fist) most unarmed weapons only require 2 strength to be used properly, a character can have only 2 strength (pitifully low) but still have vast unarmed combat abilities, capable of punching people across rooms. The learnable combat moves take this up to eleven, allowing enemies to be knocked down, disarmed, and countered without "strength" factoring into it at all. Possibly averted in that unarmed combat is based off of "endurance", a measure of how resistant you are to attacks, which could be thought of as "strong"

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** New Vegas ''New Vegas'' actually has another example, in unarmed combat. Since (excepting the ballistic fist) most unarmed weapons only require 2 strength to be used properly, a character can have only 2 strength (pitifully low) but still have vast unarmed combat abilities, capable of punching people across rooms. The learnable combat moves take this up to eleven, allowing enemies to be knocked down, disarmed, and countered without "strength" factoring into it at all. Possibly averted in that unarmed combat is based off of "endurance", a measure of how resistant you are to attacks, which could be thought of as "strong"

* The Swordmaster Class of the Franchise/FireEmblem series, at least in the games they appear, tend to be this, but the class that epitomizes the trope would be the even rarer class, Assassin. Swordmasters have high speed and skill with a relatively low strength cap, but also gain a boost anywhere from 15% to 30%, depending on game, to their critical chance. Assassins tend to have the lowest strength cap in any given game they're in for final class promotions, but also have the highest skill cap, and are the only class with a one hit kill move that deals death even if they'd normally not even do damage with a normal attack.

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* The Swordmaster Class of the Franchise/FireEmblem VideoGame/FireEmblem series, at least in the games they appear, tend to be this, but the class that epitomizes the trope would be the even rarer class, Assassin. Swordmasters have high speed and skill with a relatively low strength cap, but also gain a boost anywhere from 15% to 30%, depending on game, to their critical chance. Assassins tend to have the lowest strength cap in any given game they're in for final class promotions, but also have the highest skill cap, and are the only class with a one hit kill move that deals death even if they'd normally not even do damage with a normal attack.

* Adol from ''{{Ys}}'' series can't take a lot of damage, especially if he is underleveled or if he's up against a boss, so the key to survive as him is to learn how to dodge and counter attack.

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* Adol from ''{{Ys}}'' ''Franchise/{{Ys}}'' series can't take a lot of damage, especially if he is underleveled or if he's up against a boss, so the key to survive as him is to learn how to dodge and counter attack.

** Fighters are this compared to Barbarians, though this is a rather relative comparison. Fighters have slightly fewer hitpoints, move slower, and can't use [[TheBerserker Rage]], but they can equip heavy armour and tower shields as standard, they have more combat feats, and they are at least literate - Barbarians NeverLearnedToRead.

** This is usually a trait of the more successful Paramecia-type Devil Fruit users. While they lack the straightforward abilities of [[ElementalEmbodiment Logia]] or [[{{Animorphism}} Zoan]] fruits, they often make up for it with the most outside-the-box thinking and diversity in the application of a single fruit's powers.

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** This is usually a trait of the more successful Paramecia-type Devil Fruit users. While they lack the straightforward abilities of [[ElementalEmbodiment Logia]] or [[{{Animorphism}} Zoan]] fruits, they often make up for it with the most outside-the-box thinking and diversity in the application of a single fruit's powers. While a few Paramecia fruits provide massive destructive power (the category is simply a catch-all for anything that's not Logia or Zoan), most are far from impressive. Even the main character Luffy became far ''weaker'' as a child when he ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and became a RubberMan; it took years of training before he could even regain the ability to throw a punch. While he's become monstrously strong since then, he's had to come up with truly bizarre ways of utilizing his Devil Fruit power to do so (thus he personally doesn't fit this trope, but his Devil Fruit power pretty much does).*** There are also some clear example of Zoans like this, because the inherent combat potential varies greatly depending on which specific animal the Zoan can transform into. Being able to become a leopard or a king cobra or a ''[[TyrannosaurusRex T. rex]]'' provides very obvious strength, but transforming into a giraffe? Not so much. But after eating that Devil Fruit, Kaku is able to use both his assassin training and his innate creativity to come up with an amazing variety of deadly attacks using his giraffe transformation, and does so ''on the fly'' in the middle of battle.

** Yuuno Scrya is quite possibly the weakest -- or at least just ''definitely'' the least well-armed -- combatant in the series. However, his mastery of binding and barrier magics make him the most {{Badass}} NonActionGuy ever. He's also demonstrated the ability to force someone to be teleported against their will, which, when you think about it, is probably the single most lethal ability ever shown in the series. The unpleasant [[TeleFrag possibilities]] for it are endless, but sadly never explored.

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** Yuuno Scrya is quite possibly the weakest -- or at least just ''definitely'' the least well-armed -- combatant in the series. However, his mastery of binding and barrier magics make him the most {{Badass}} capable NonActionGuy ever. He's also demonstrated the ability to force someone to be teleported against their will, which, when you think about it, is probably the single most lethal ability ever shown in the series. The unpleasant [[TeleFrag possibilities]] for it are endless, but sadly never explored.

** Takahata is unable to cast spells but still manages to be BadAss within a society of mages with his [[YinYangBomb Kanka]] ([[RedBaron his title]] is "[[StoicSpectacles Death Glasses Takahata]]").

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** Takahata is unable to cast spells but still manages to be BadAss badass within a society of mages with his [[YinYangBomb Kanka]] ([[RedBaron his title]] is "[[StoicSpectacles Death Glasses Takahata]]").

** Kevin Levin fits this trope upon transforming into [[AllYourPowersCombined Kevin 11]]. He becomes a physical amalgamation of all ten of Ben's first forms, but the abilities he gains are only a tenth as powerful in comparison to Ben's. That said, he can use them in conjunction with each other, such as combining Stinkfly's gunk with Heatblast's flames to create an explosion.

[[folder:Comic Strips]]* ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes [[http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1988/09/09 features a strip]] where Calvin says to Moe, "You're so dumb you probably never thought about how a sparrow's smaller size and greater maneuverability is an advantage in fighting off big crows." Calvin is then punched by Moe.[[/folder]]

** His buster's ability to adapt weapons is also an interesting case of this. He's instantly able to [[PossessionImpliesMastery use new weapons]], but because he lacks the specialized bodies of the masters he took them from he tends to end up with similar, often limited versions of the weapons as he's limited to using only what he has to utilize it. While Top Man could spin and shoot all around the arena due to the wheels on his feet Mega Man can only spin in the air, yet for projectile-only weapons like Search Snake he gets a version identical to that of the robot master.

** Also Eiji Kikumaru, ho has a flashy and fun style of playing yet is plagued by low stamina. [[spoiler: Unlike Fuji, his TrainingFromHell that makes him go from FragileSpeedster to LightningBruiser happens in ''both'' anime and manga.]]

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** Also Eiji Kikumaru, ho who has a flashy and fun style of playing yet is plagued by low stamina. [[spoiler: Unlike Fuji, his TrainingFromHell that makes him go from FragileSpeedster to LightningBruiser happens in ''both'' anime and manga.]]

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